KARACHI: Tongue-tie is discovered during a physical examination. The doctor may use a screening tool to evaluate babies' tongue's appearance and mobility.
Ankyloglossia, or tongue-tie, is a condition in which a person's tongue is permanently affixed to the bottom of their mouth. This happens when the lingual frenulum (the tiny strip of tissue that connects your tongue to the floor of your mouth) is shorter than normal. A small frenulum can cause your tongue to move more slowly.
Although adults can also have ankyloglossia, babies and young children are the most commonly affected. It is linked to speech issues and difficulty nursing. Tongue-tie is one condition that is congenitally present at birth.
Treatment
It's debatable how tongue-tie should be treated. Even before a newborn is released from the hospital, some doctors and lactation specialists advise making the necessary corrections straight away. Some individuals would prefer to wait and see. Tongue-tie may be resolved with time as the lingual frenulum becomes more lubricated. Sometimes tongue-tie persists without causing any problems.
A lactation consultant's advice can occasionally aid with breastfeeding, while a speech-language pathologist's speech therapy can occasionally help with speaking sounds. Surgical treatment may be required if tongue-tie causes problems for infants, kids, or adults. An operation could involve a frenotomy or frenuloplasty.
Frenotomy
A frenotomy is a straightforward surgery performed in a doctor's clinic or hospital nursery with or without anaesthetic. After inspecting the lingual frenulum, the doctor cuts it loose with sterile scissors. Given that the lingual frenulum has few nerve endings or blood vessels, the treatment is rapid and causes little discomfort.
If bleeding does occur, it will probably only be a drop or two. After the operation, a baby might start nursing right away. Although frenotomy complications are uncommon, they could include bleeding, infection, damage to the tongue, or harm to the salivary glands. Scarring or the frenulum reattaching to the base of the tongue are other potential outcomes.
Frenuloplasty
If additional repair is required if the lingual frenulum is too thick for a frenotomy, a more invasive treatment known as Frenuloplasty may be recommended. Under general anaesthesia, a frenuloplasty is performed using surgical equipment. Following the release of the frenulum, the wound is often stitched together using sutures that dissolve on their own as the tongue recovers.
The risks of a frenuloplasty are comparable to those of a frenotomy, including bleeding, infection, damage to the tongue, and harm to the salivary glands. Due to the more involved nature of the treatment, reactions to aesthesia and scarring are potential side effects. Exercises to improve tongue movement and lessen the possibility of scarring may be suggested after a frenuloplasty.
Conclusion
Children with ankyloglossia had a variety of surgical procedures. Depending on the patient's age, the length of the frenulum, and the accessibility of the necessary tools and equipment, a procedure was selected. All the methods discussed here are effective for treating ankyloglossia; however, they all call for expert assistance.
